Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly was stalled on the opening day of the second phase of the budget session as opposition members created uproarious scenes soon after the House assembled for the day on Friday.
As soon as the House assembled for the question hour, Biju Janata Dal MLAs were up in arms over the shifting of Panchayati Raj Diwas celebration from Biju Patnaik’s birth anniversary on March 5 to April 24.
On the other hand, Congress legislators were also on their feet creating ruckus over alleged growing atrocities on women in the state during the last eight months.
Repeated appeals by the Speaker for cooperation in maintaining decorum went unheeded and several opposition legislators trooped into the well of the House and gathered near the Speaker’s dais to voice their anger. Finding it tough to conduct business because of uproar, Speaker Surama Padhy adjourned the House till 12 noon.
Similar unruly scenes were witnessed when the House reassembled as opposition members raising slogans and creating uproar. As pandemonium persisted, the Speaker again adjourned the House till 4 pm.
The BJD legislators staged a dharna near the statue of Biju Patnaik on the Assembly premises, while Congress MLAs held a separate demonstration near the Mahatma Gandhi statue.
Stating that people of Odisha are angry over disrespect to Biju Patnaik, BJD MLA Arun Sahoo told reporters outside the House that the state government must answer as to why it changed Panchayati Raj Diwas day. The government must roll back its decision and restore March 5, the birth anniversary of Biju, as Panchayati Raj Diwas, he said.
Dismissing BJD’s allegation, Panchayati Raj Minister Rabi Naik said that Biju Patnaik is beyond politics and a great son of this soil and people of the state, irrespective of party lines, have high respect for him.
Accusing BJD of considering Biju Patnaik as its patent, he told reporters outside the House that ironically BJD had removed his photo from party posters during the last elections. “Was this the respect the BJD had shown to the great leader,” he sought to know.
“Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi organised a state-level Biju Babu birth anniversary celebration, inviting his son and the Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik. Today, the BJD disrupted the House business in the name of Biju Babu,” the Minister said.
“BJD is worried because the new BJP government is doing a lot of development work. That is the only reason they are disrupting the proceedings of the Assembly,” alleged a BJP MLA.
